How Electricity Works Flashcards
What is everything made from?
Atoms
What are the 3 parts of an atom?
Protons, neutrons, electrons
What are the charges of the elements in an atom?
Electrons are negative, protons are positive and neutrons do not have a charge
What is the outer part of an atom called?
Valence shell (electrons may leave their atom from here)
What is a circuit?
A route that electrons can flow along
What is the diff between open and closed circuit?
Open circuit- electrons can’t pass
Closed circuit- electrons may pass
What is voltage?
Pushing force of electrons within a circuit
What is a “volt”
It is a joule / coulomb
Explain joules and coulombs
Joules is a measurement of work while coulomb is a group of flowing electrons
What is current?
Flow of electrons (measured in amps)
What is an amp?
1 amp is 1 coulomb/second
Explain resistance
A restriction to the flow of electrons in a circuit
How does wire size affect resistance?
If a wire carrying the flow of electrons is longer or thinner, the resistance is greater— the opposite is true as well.
What other things affect resistance?
Material type and temperature (hotter provides more resistance)
What is a resistor?
A component made to purposely restrict the flow of electrons.
What comes from the relationship of resistance and electron collisions?
Depending on the material, electrons may collide into other element atoms creating heat and at a certain temperature, light.
What is an inductor?
A cable wrapped in a coil creating a magnetic field
How can the magnetic field be affected?
It may be increased by coil turns or the core it is wrapped around
Explain electromagnetic induction
It is caused by a magnetic field through a coil which induces a voltage and a current
What is a transformer?
An electromagnetically induced coil that will induce a voltage into a second coil when using an alternating current (looks like wireless electricity)
Explain capacitors
A capacitor separates positive from negative charges when it is connected to a power supply. They basically store electric charge.
What are the 2 kinds of currents?
Alternating current (AC) and Direct current (DC)
How does AC work?
Its current alternates directions because of a changing magnetic field
How does DC work?
the current from DC travels only in one direction (found in batteries)
